Come Rain Or Shine
by Sixty Five Roses
Summary: After the case is closed, Sharon contemplates the way she handled herself in the interview room. Andy offers her comfort. Episode tag to 4x02 - "Sorry I Missed You".


The warm night air smelled sweet as Sharon took a seat in one the chairs on her balcony and stared at into the distance. The flickering city lights kept her company as she nursed a cup of herbal tea.

It has been a long and emotional day for her and the squad; all in all, she was glad it was over. She loved her job, but sometimes the cases she worked coincided with her life in a way that left her unable to remain indifferent to the lives of the people she investigated. However, today was the first time that she allowed herself to shed tears in front of a suspect. She knew it was unprofessional, but her heart went out to him and with all the tension she was carrying in the last few months, since Stroh's escape, it was becoming increasingly difficult to hold her emotions in check.

She closed her eyes and blew the steam over her mug and took a sip, letting the earthy taste ground her and the warmth of the liquid flowing down her throat comfort her.

The silent buzz of her phone made her open her eyes. With a sigh she reached for it and answered it without even looking at the caller ID.

"Hi, Sharon," Andy's voice was slightly raspier than usual.

"Andy," she responded, the chocked and tearful voice produced by her vocal chords surprised her.

"I just called to apologize," Andy said. "You know, for calling you Sharon in front of the guys today."

"That's alright, Andy. It wasn't such a big of a deal," she replied and took another long sip of her tea.

"I'll try, you know, to be more discreet in the future." Andy continued. Sharon shrugged before she remembered that he could not see her. "I also… wanted to check how you're doing."

"I'm fine, I guess," Sharon responded.

"You don't sound so fine, to be honest. You sound like you've been crying." Andy paused.

"I'm not crying," Somehow she barely convinced herself.

"It's okay if you are, Sharon. We're humans and we all had a rough day," Andy's words followed with his sigh. "Sometimes I cry after a difficult case. It helps."

"You do?" Sharon never pegged Andy for a crier. She knew he was sensitive but he didn't seem like the kind of man who would allow himself to shed tears.

"Not often, but sometimes, when I have a hard day I get very emotional," he explained. Sharon hummed softly. "You know, sometimes talking to someone you trust and telling them how you feel helps too." Andy let her process that idea before he continued. "I'm here if you need someone to listen." The silence on both sides of the line was deafening.

"I wouldn't even know where to begin," Sharon broke it after a few minutes. She didn't even realize that she was holding back her tears until she felt them lazily rolling down her cheeks. "There is just too much that's going on in my head; it's like I'm flooded with emotions and every moment a different one attacks me. I just…." Her voice cracked as the dam inside her caved under the tsunami of worries, stress, anxiety and despair that irrupted within her.

"Sharon, do you want me to come over? I'm not far from Los Feliz." Sharon uttered a miserable 'yes' through her sobs.

Andy arrived at her condo about 15 minutes later and by then she calmed down a little. Still, she let him wrap his arms around her and allowed herself to bury her face in his chest. She inhaled the scent of his cologne and that somehow made relax into him even more. Andy's hands stroked her hair, the tips of his fingers soothing her until he felt her breath evening out. He knew she's been having trouble sleeping since Stroh's escape and even though he couldn't imagine how the position they were sitting in would be comfortable enough for anyone to fall asleep, he assumed her physical and emotional exhaustion ganged up on her until she could no longer keep her eyes open.

It was a few minutes after midnight when she stirred in his arms and her eyelids fluttered open. There was a confused gaze in her eyes before a horrified expression took over her features.

"I'm so sorry, Andy. I didn't mean to fall asleep on you," she said, her voice panicky as she moved out of his arms.

"It's fine. You needed to sleep and I'm glad that I could be there for you," Andy replied.

"It's late," Sharon said as she checked the time on her iPhone.

"It's okay." Andy shrugged and his soft smile made the corners of his eyes crinkle and his eyes shine.

"It might be a bit early for that, but do you want to stay the night?" Sharon only realized how that sounded after the words left her lips. Her cheeks turned crimson as blood rushed into her face.

"Only if you're comfortable with it," Andy replied.

"I am. Just… um, there's not gonna be any touching, okay? We'll just sleep."

"I thought I'll be sleeping on the couch," Andy's eyes widened. He didn't expect her to invite him into her bed.

"You won't be able to move in the morning if you sleep on the couch. We'll just go to my bed and…" Sharon seemed to be losing it again.

"Sharon, no sex, no touching. I get it. There's no need to tell me twice and it's perfectly fine. Don't worry," he said. "But be warned, I snore a little."

"And I steal the blanket," Sharon admitted with a shrug.

"I kick the blanket off anyway," Andy responded and offered her his boyish grin.

"Sounds like we're compatible." After all the tears she shed, the smile that twisted Sharon's lips upwards was like rain through the clouds. And Andy was sure the rainbow was just around the corner.

THE END

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 **As always, I'd love to know what you thought about this story, so feel free to leave a review or send me a PM.**


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